Oct. 04: In-Game: Did Willie pull Maine too early?

Willie Randolph said his bullpen was a strength and he planned to use it, but did you go to it too soon here in the fifth when he pulled John Maine in favor of Pedro Feliciano to face Kenny Lofton with the Dodgers having two runners on, only one out and down a run?

Maine had struck out Lofton twice before.

Feliciano punched out Lofton and now Chad Bradford is in to face Nomar Garciaparra.

Randolph said he had a plan and is being true to it. He won this one as Garciaparra grounds out to end the inning.

i thought it was weird to see,but the right move,maine has earned confidence but not that much,the strength of this team is bullpen and offense and you have to tap into that any chance you can with anyone not named tom glavine on the mound

It would have been easy for Randolph to stick with Maine against Ken Lofton, whom he had struck out twice already. I thought he might, but Randolph followed his plan and that’s the quality of a good manager.

In the last start by Maine I think it was Darling who commented on how he loses focus. I was on the train home at the time and wasn’t able to ‘watch’ it on gamecast, but it seems to me that Maine was hitting a rough patch and as you say this team was built on offense/D/relief.

Use what you got, exciting game. Good win.

Now Glavine needs to go 6 and keep it to 2 or 3 runs, If we get lucky Trachs has a lights out game.

It’s really a formula … the Mets know they don’t have a starter that will give them seven or eight. They have to be thinking quality start and hope the offense scores some runs. It means going to the bullpen often.